diff --git a/content/u/blog/love-letter-to-isc-bind/contents.lr b/content/u/blog/love-letter-to-isc-bind/contents.lr new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6906958 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/u/blog/love-letter-to-isc-bind/contents.lr @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +title: A love letter to ISC bind +--- +pub_date: 2021-02-22 +--- +author: Nico Schottelius +--- +twitter_handle: NicoSchottelius +--- +_hidden: no +--- +_discoverable: yes +--- +abstract: +Everyone does some mistakes in their life, but sometimes it's time to +move on. +--- +body: + +Dear ISC bind, + +this is a love letter to you. You probably don't know me, but I have +been a long term user of yours. I started using you - oh, that sounds +so wrong for a love letter, doesn't it? + +I started my time with you in the late 90's, it was when you were +called "bind 4". I was very happy with our relationship. You'd not +only take care of all authoritative requests, but also take care of +caching client requests. Me, still being young at the time, I did not +know nor care about security concerns in the beginning. + +But then over time I got more experienced and I read and tried DNS +cache poisoning and I was shocked. How could you? How could you accept +incorrect entries? I had so much trust in you and then that! + +So many years passed and after my shock, I had a fling with +[djbdns](https://cr.yp.to/djbdns.html) (together with qmail and +daemontools). Which right away took security more serious. So +serious that even managing djbdns with its own suite was almost like a +crypto analysis adventure. Many years this was my software solution of +choice, compiled by source, patched by hand. Oh, the old 2000's! + +Over time the effort for managing software by source code and +/usr/local installations did not turn out to be very efficient. So I +looked around and found [powerdns](https://www.powerdns.com/), +[nsd](https://www.nlnetlabs.nl/projects/nsd/about/) and +[unbound](https://www.nlnetlabs.nl/projects/unbound/about/). + +I settled for the nsd/unbound combination for many years. Then I +stumbled upon +[dnsmasq](http://www.thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/doc.html). Dnsmasq +feels a bit like a younger sibling of bind: it does everything and +even includes dhcp and tftp support! Crazy, isn't it? Many years to +come, dnsmasq, first discovered on an embedded router, turned out to +be a very stable solution for even mid sized installations. And it +comes with a very simple configuration as well. + +But then 2017 happened. And ungleich started the [Data Center +Light](/u/projects/data-center-light/) project. An IPv6 first +hosting. And there you were, dear bind. Looking at me from the side of +the software projects, saying "I think it's time we have a talk.". + +And indeed, we did have a talk. A talk about implementing DNS64. About +different nat64 prefixes in one configuration. About being +an authoritative name server that functions even if all upstreams are +down. A name server that even allows the most funky configuration of +*removing native AAAA entries* for DNS64 networks that should only +access mapped IPv4 addresses. You can do it all, but you are still not +complicated. Who can say that from oneself? + +I admit, I was not always loyal to you. And I also admit that I am +still sceptical about mixing caching and authoritative features in one +process. But you do it so damn well. Not only have you been around for +decades and collected the wisdom over the years, but also have you +adapted to the time. + +This is why I am writing you this love letter today, to say +thanks. Thanks for making the life in a data center easier, thanks to +being flexible, thanks for improving over time and thanks to still +adhearing to the same configuration file format that I used in the +late 90's. + +Dear BIND, you are by far not perfect, but then again neither is +reality. And this is your strength, solving real world problems. + +Thank you for doing so and thanks to all the involved developers! + +In love, yours, + +Nico